Joseph Sanders
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A Wisconsin native, Joe Sanders joined Pankow in 1979 after he graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. degree in civil engineering.
As a profile in the company newsletter put it, Sanders’s career has been “a classic Pankow success story.” From 1979 to 1988, Sanders rose through the ranks of field engineer, project engineer, and superintendent on projects such as 10560 Wilshire, a 22-story, 108-unit luxury condominium erected along the Wilshire Corridor in Los Angeles; 411 East Wisconsin, a 30-story office tower that the Pankow team constructed in downtown Milwaukee through the frigid winter of 1983–1984; South Coast Executive Centre, a twin-tower office complex in Costa Mesa, California, completed in 1987; and the renovation and expansion of the Brea Mall, in Brea, California, completed in 1988.
Sanders gained experience as a project sponsor on the tenant improvements associated with the 411 East Wisconsin project. He stayed in Milwaukee as the project sponsor responsible for converting the Gimbels department store at the Capitol Court shopping center into a Target store. After the completion of this project, in 1986, Sanders returned to California, and was assigned as superintendent on the South Coast Executive Centre and Brea Mall projects.
Thereafter Sanders held various leadership positions within the firm. From 1989 to 2000, Sanders was the project sponsor on several high-profile projects, including a 21-story, 73-unit luxury condominium in West Los Angeles; Gateway Center, a 2.2-million-square-foot transportation complex constructed at Union Station, Los Angeles, featuring the East Portal ticketing terminal and the 28-story headquarters for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; the 12-story headquarters for the Metropolitan Water District, also constructed at Union Station; and the Paramount, a 39-story residential tower in San Francisco that utilized the precast hybrid moment-resistant frame, an innovative structural technology designed to make buildings more “earthquake proof.”
Before the completion of the Paramount in 2001, Sanders was named director of engineering with responsibility for researching new and innovative building technologies.
In 2003 Sanders became regional manager for Southern California. The following year, he was one of six executive managers who formed a controlling general partnership as part of the company’s reorganization in the wake of Charlie Pankow’s death.
In 2005 Sanders became senior vice president and director of operations. In this capacity, he oversaw preconstruction and construction activities, led research and development efforts, and mentored staff.
Throughout his career, Sanders has been actively involved in the American Concrete Institute. He has been a member of the ACI Foundation Board, its Technology Transfer Committee, and ACI Committee 550 (precast concrete structures). In 2008 he chaired the Concrete Research Council.
Sanders serves on the Advisory Council of the Charles Pankow Foundation. He is a registered professional civil engineer and has been certified as a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council.
